Mind Control Review – The Brain with Ambition

Console and PC gaming have always been the go-to for most gamers. Usually, the more casual gamers will play Android or iOS games. However, there is something remarkable that indie studio Game Byte Games have done titled Mind Control. Unrestricted by the rules of a triple-A studio they have made a game that has a lot of thought put into it. With a gentle atmosphere and a focus on challenge, Mind Control isn’t a masterpiece, but it is entertaining.

Storyline

Our primary playable character is a brain. This brain has somehow lost his body and you must reunite with it. The brain is set on going home and maintains a positive attitude despite being in a world filled with death. There is no other backstory so the focus is the gameplay.

Gameplay

Mechanics are kind of interesting in the game. All you have to control the brain with, is with the slide of your fingers. Sliding your fingers allows the character to navigate and advance. A meter limit jumps, and boosters are placed in the world to make longer jumps. Initially, getting from platform to platform seems tedious because levels are too comfortable. But the designers do a great job of increasing the level difficulty. During the first levels, you see buttons that open doors but later levels buttons become timed, they may drop an item, or you may need to go through them quickly.

I did find myself struggling a bit with the controls at times because it seems like the controls were not responding. I was trying to slide my finger to move to the next platform only for the controls not to react and I fell into acid. Or sometimes when trying to time a jump, I wanted to make a soft jump, but I overshot it because the game didn’t detect when I was sliding softly.

The levels keep things entertaining because newer levels build on the last ones. It was frustrating at first because I did not know the layout of the stages. Each stage is a good length with checkpoints in the right places. Upon memorizing the levels, I would navigate much quicker which made me feel satisfied that I could beat it before the challenge time.

Graphics

Unity Engine is what powers Mind Control. The Brain and the environment have an animated look, and it works pretty well due to the goofy context of the game. The environment moves pretty well when the character moves. Nothing really to be surprised about but there was good work put into it. There may have been an occasional frame rate drop, but it doesn’t distract from play.

Replayability

The only real reason to return to Mind Control is to complete the challenges. Each level has a three star system categorized as completed level, no deaths, and time total. At times you need to gain two stars to unlock levels that needs a specific amount of stars. It can be pretty entertaining to go back because levels are not long enough to make them tedious. Once memorized you can fly through the levels and still feel satisfied.